Neural and computational mechanisms of effort under the pressure of a deadline

Deadlines fundamentally shape the motivation for effort. Research examining effort-based choices finds
high effort is an avoided cost. However, this work overlooks the fact that effort can be valuable when it
makes progress on long-term goals before deadlines. We test a new framework where motivation
depends on deadline pressure (work remaining / time remaining). Across three studies we use
computational modelling on novel tasks examining effort-based decisions when effort makes progress
on goals with deadlines. In support of hypotheses, deadline pressure significantly impacts decisionmaking, shifting people from avoiding effort, to seeking and valuing it. Using ultra-high-field fMRI, we
show that functionally connected putamen and midcingulate cortex (MCC) sub-regions process and
update estimates of deadline pressure, with distinct anterior cingulate and putamen sub-regions
processing the costs or added value of effort. We show the neurocomputational mechanisms for how
deadline pressure shapes motivation, and that keep us ‘on track’ for our goals.